We Danced
by kennagirl
Summary: I, Sirius Black, am in love with the most amazing woman in the world. She says I have to tell you the whole story. But I'm not telling about the Chinese Finger Cuff Situation. Or the Stuffed Animal Issue. I'll tell about the Hair Cut Incident, and maybe Operation Greasy Pink 2.0. I'm telling this story my way.


**_A/N: Based on the song "We Danced" by Brad Paisley._**

* * *

I flicked my wand at the dirty glasses and they started cleaning themselves. I grabbed the broom from under the counter and started sweeping. Working the last shift at the Leaky Cauldron was not a dream job, but it paid my part of the bills in the flat I share with James and Remus. We'd also invited Peter, but he said he already had a place to stay for after we left school. We didn't mind, though, as the flat was incredibly tiny and Peter still came around to help at full moon.

But I digress. Where was I? Oh, yes. Sweeping.

I hate sweeping the Muggle way. I'd rather charm the broom to do it itself, but Tom had bewitched it with an Anti-Charm Charm, so I couldn't. He insisted that a magicked broom, no matter how well the spell is cast, will still not make sure to get every speck of dirt like a human would. And, as the newbie on the last bar shift, I was the human to pick up every speck of dirt. Tom prided himself on the fact that you could eat off the floor, and a few patrons chose to do so. Therefore, it was up to me to sweep the bar carefully, from one side to the other. Five times. And it isn't exactly a small bar.

Therefore, I hate sweeping.

I heard the front door open, but I had my back to it, so I didn't know who was coming through. However, most employees used the door behind the counter, so it had to be a customer, probably half-drunk already and not aware that I was closing up.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed," I said without turning my head. I was halfway through the fifth sweep-down and I wanted to finish up and get out of there. When I didn't hear any movement, I turned around.

There she stood. She was beautiful. She had been in here earlier, wearing a short skirt and lots of make-up. Now, however, she had slipped into flannel pajamas, washed off the make-up, and her hair was wet, which made me think she had just gotten out of the shower.

She pointed at the "Closed" sign stuck to the door and said, "I know, but I'm afraid I left my purse. It has my glasses in it and I wanted to read my book before I went to bed."

I just kept staring like the idiot I was.

She cleared her throat. "So, did you find a bag?"

_Oh, yeah. She's talking to me._ "Um, I, uh, put one, uh, back behind the bar," I stammered. "I, er, bet it's probably yours." _Smooth, Padfoot. Real smooth._

She kept standing there. "Well, can I see it to see it it's mine?"

_I knew I was forgetting something._

I clambered over the top of the bar. Tom wasn't here to yell at me for putting my feet on it to jump, but I'd clean it later. I pulled the bag out from under the counter and grabbed the wallet sitting on top. I flipped it open to see the I.D. card. "What's your name?" I asked. This was the standard procedure for giving back lost goods.

"Dorcas Meadowes," she replied. I put the wallet back in the purse and set it on the counter.

"So, Dorcas, did you go to Hogwarts?" _I definitely would have remembered a face like hers._

"No," she sighed. "But I wish I could've. Dad's a Muggle and Mum went to Beauxbatons, so they put me in Beaubaxtons because they knew what to expect there."

_Damn, she's a Beauxbatons girl. No wonder._

"No wonder what?"

_Shit. Did I say that out loud?_

"Yes, you did."

"Oh. Sorry. Sometimes my mouth forgets that some things are supposed to stay in my head." _Now she's going to think I'm a complete nutter._

…

…

…

_Good. I didn't say that out loud._

"Say what out loud?"

_Damn it!_ "Nothing. Forget it. Where are my manners?" I stuck my hand out for her to shake. "Sirius Black. Hogwarts alumnus, Gryffindor house, Quidditch team Beater, and bar clean-up man, at your service."

She sat on a bar stool. "Well, Mr. Black, that's quite a list of titles," she said. "Why don't you tell me more?"

I jumped back over the counter and sat on the stool next to her. "Well," I began, "I live with two of my three best mates, James and Remus. We got a flat together because it's cheaper to split expenses, although James may be moving our soon to live with his girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancé, Lily. Assuming she says yes. Which I think she will. I mean, sure, Lily used to hate him, but I think she's head-over-heels and has been the whole time. Remus says she actually did hate James for a while there, but James won't hear of it…"

So we talked for a while. I told her all about my adventures with the Marauders.

Like when we turned Snape's hair pink.

And when I convinced Peter that rubber ducks were edible.

And Remus's drunken striptease in the Common Room (I had pictures for that one).

And the time Lily forced James to go buy her some…ahem…feminine products, so he dragged me with him.

And we got lost in the supermarket holding said products.

And got lost again in the neighborhood on the walk back to her house.

She told me some stories, too.

Like when she "accidently" spiked the Headmistress's wine with Veritaserum.

And how this guy named Delacour asked her to teach him a charm to set off fireworks that spelled his sweetheart's name, Apolline, but she taught him one to set her skirt on fire instead.

They're still together.

Delacour and his sweetheart, that is.

Not Delacour and Dorcas.

She said he was too old for her.

And he was kinda fat.

And Apolline was part Veela.

So I can see why he fell for her.

But why the hell did she fall for him?

I guess there was a spark.

*snicker*

Get it? He lit her skirt on fire.

But I digress again.

We completely lost track of time and it was four in the morning before she decided to go back to her room and read the book she meant to start two hours before.

"I'll see you later, Sirius," she called as she shut the door behind her. I started sweeping again for a few seconds when she came back. "I, uh, need my purse back."

I reached for it to hand it to her, and then changed my mind. "You'll only get this back on one condition."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Condition? It's my purse. I have a right to claim it."

I simply stood there smiling at her.

She groaned. "What condition?"

I waved my wand and all the chairs flipped up onto the tables. I blew out several candles and put on the Wizarding Wireless. An old Ella Dodderidge love song poured through the speakers. I bowed formally like I had been taught to do by my mother for all the balls I had to attend when I was younger.

"May I have this dance, Mademoiselle Meadowes?" I asked in my most ridiculous, upper-crust accent, the one I heard at those balls.

She giggled at my absurdity. "It would be my pleasure, Monsieur Black," she replied with a deep curtsy and a similar cheesy accent.

I grabbed her hand and spun her in a circle a few times. She laughed, and it sounded like tinkling bells. On the final spin, I brought her close to me so there was no space between us. I held her left hand in my fight and put my left on her waist. She put her right hand on my shoulder and her head on my chest. That's when I realized she was a fair bit shorter than me. I didn't care though, because her head fit so perfectly in the center of my chest, it was like it was made for her.

The song ended, but we didn't move. We stayed like that through the next several songs and even a few commercials. She pulled away from me and reached up on her tiptoes to kiss me.

"Good night, Sirius," she whispered and broke away. She grabbed her purse and left, turning back at the door to smile and wave at me.

I grabbed the broom and finished up, humming the song to myself. She was perfect. She was beautiful. She was smart. She was funny and had a great mind for pranking. And she didn't mind that my mates and I were completely bonkers, because her crew was a little crazy as well.

I was absolutely and completely in love.

I had found my soul mate.

And I had only known her for a few hours.

The years passed. Dorcas and I joined the Order of the Phoenix, along with Lily, James, Remus, and Peter. The night Lily said yes to James's proposal, we had a party and someone brought out a camera for a picture. Dorcas had cut my hair recently while I had been sleeping, so I was a little ticked at her, but she and I stood by each other when the shutter clicked.

James and Lily were married within the month and she was Maid of Honor while I got the role of Best Man. When Harry was born, we were named godparents. Dorcas loved taking care of Harry.

Everything was perfect.

I was still working at the Leaky Cauldron, but I was the bar manager now. On her birthday, October 17, I told her I had to cover the last shift and close up because all but one other employee and I were sick. She stopped by around 2:15, because the bar closed at two on Saturday nights.

I was sweeping (which I hated a little less now) when she came up behind me and put her arms around my waist, murmuring, "Hey, stranger," in my ear before kissing my neck. I turned around and dropped to one knee before pulling out the ring I had been holding onto since I bought it as soon as I got the money. I had just been waiting for the right moment and here it was.

She looked at the stone and started tearing up. _Did I get the wrong kind of ring?_

"No, you didn't."

_Damn it. I was doing that thinking out loud thing again._ "Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she cried. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's right. I'm crying because I'm so happy. It's just…it's…this is the last thing I expected."

I smiled up at her. "My darling Dorie," I began. She liked when I called her Dorie. "I love you with all my heart and all my soul. Will you marry me?"

She looked like she was thinking it over for a minute. I felt my face begin to fall. _Is she going to say no?_

…

…

…

_Okay. I'm getting better. I didn't say that out loud._

…

…

…

_Ha! I didn't say that one either!_

"Say what one?"

"Damn it!"

She laughed at me and pulled my up by the hand. "I'll only marry you on one condition."

_Condition? This may not be good._ She pulled out her wand and waved it. All the chairs flew up and set themselves on the tables. I laughed as well.

She and I went around blowing out candles. She reached the radio and turned on the Wizarding Wireless. The same Ella Dodderidge song that we listened to the night we met was playing. We both laughed at the sheer perfection of it all.

"May I have this dance, Monsieur Black?" she asked as she bowed deeply.

"May I have your hand in marriage, Mademoiselle Meadowes?"

"You may have my hand."

"Then you may have this dance," I said, curtsying. It was a very graceful curtsy.

Yeah, right.

So, after Dorcas picked me up off the floor, which is where I fell flat on my face, we started dancing again. Just like we did a little over three years ago.

Somehow, this night seemed different. We held each other the same way we had when we first met and countless times since then. But it seemed deeper, more intimate. Nothing else in the world mattered to us right then. We'd seen each other through hell and back.

Like when her best friend Marlene McKinnon was killed, along with her whole family.

And when Fabian and Gideon Prewett, two close friends of mine, died fighting.

And when Caradoc Dearborn, who was like a father to me, vanished.

And when her stepbrother Benjy Fenwick was found in bits.

We held each other the same way every time. Every time one was the rock for the other. But tonight, for the first time in a while, all the problems disappeared. It was just me and her, each trusting and loving the other completely. We were giving each other our hearts. That's the only way I can put it.

We each gave our whole selves over to the other.

To have and to hold.

To love, honor, and cherish.

From each sun to each moon.

From tomorrow to tomorrow.

From now to forever.

Till death do us part.

I never wanted to let go.

But I had to let go. Because it turned out Lily, James, and Remus, who I had mentioned my plan to, had been listening outside the door and couldn't contain their joy any more. Lily burst in first, happy tears streaming down her face, and threw her arms around Dorcas. Remus clapped me on the back and James said, "Welcome to marriage, Padfoot. Your opinions now mean nothing." Lily heard this and smacked his shoulder playfully, telling him to stop scaring me. But I wasn't scared. I thought October 18, 1981, would be one of the best days of my life.

I was wrong.

About seven that evening at Headquarters, I was helping set up for the engagement party. Most everyone was there and Emmeline Vance was supposed to bring Dorcas over. The whole thing was a surprise for her.

I was nervous and kept fidgeting and fixing little things. It had been a very long day, or at least, it felt like it to me. It was hard to believe that I had last seen my Dorie sixteen hours ago when she left the Leaky Cauldron, saying she needed some sleep in order to function on her weekend shift. I couldn't wait to see her and they were over an hour late.

I was staring at the door when Emmeline burst through. Her robes were ripped and her face was bloodied and scared. She collapsed on the ground and Remus held her up while she told me.

How she had gone to Dorcas's cottage to get her.

How she saw a green light through the window.

How she hid in the front yard tree.

How Voldemort himself walked out of the cottage.

How he blew apart the stone building with a flick of his wand.

How he sent the Dark Mark into the air and Disapparated.

How she dug through the rubble to find the body.

I couldn't take it anymore. I Disapparated and went to the one place she would always be. Not her house. That's just where her body was. She would be at the one place she felt happy.

Luckily, the bar was closed on Sunday evenings. Nobody was there to tell me to stop. I smashed all the glasses on the ground. I drank every bottle of Firewhiskey. I threw the chairs across the room. I snapped the broom in half over my knee. I blasted the radio in the corner to bits.

It still wasn't enough.

James found me passed out there the next morning. I was wrapped in a blanket Dorcas had kept in the back room and used for naps when she was too tired to visit with me while I worked. It still smelled like her.

I didn't go to the funeral. I couldn't. I just couldn't.

Less than two weeks later, my world was blown apart again. James and Lily were dead. Harry still lived, but he was being taken away to live with Lily's horrible sister. I had lost the love of my life, a friend who was more of a brother than my own, and a woman who was as dear as a sister to me. I couldn't stand it. Someone had to pay.

That's why I went after Wormtail.

I didn't care if I lived or died.

Because I had nothing left to live for.

* * *

Bellatrix shot spell after spell at me and I sent my fair share right back. I had to protect Harry.

The spell hit my chest and I fell back through the veil.

"Still as graceful as ever I see, Monsieur Black."

I was back in the bar. Half the candles were out and the radio was playing softly. In the middle of the room stood Dorcas, as beautiful as the last time I'd seen her fourteen years ago.

She helped me to my feet, laughing her light laugh that I had so longed to hear.

I looked at her, my eyes hungry to take everything in. I could barely believe she was here, with me. After all this time, she was still waiting for me.

"Well, aren't you going to dance your wedding dance with me?"

I looked at her, confused. "But we never got married."

She pressed her face to the spot on my chest that had been empty for so long. She settled her left hand in my right, pulled my left around her waist, and placed her right on my shoulder. "As far as anybody here is concerned," she said, "we are married. And I believe you and I are the only ones here. Now, may I have this dance?"

I smiled down at her. "This dance and every other dance is yours. Everything I have and everything I am is yours."

"Good," she said. "You're a good husband."

I looked down at the women that now called herself my wife. _Hey, I'm her husband and she's my wife. That means we're newlyweds. I wonder if she wants to do what newlyweds do…_

She broke away. "Sirius Black! You've been here two minutes and you already just want to get into my pants?!"

_Damn it._


End file.
